Due to the Rain
by moon maiden of time
Summary: -SportaRobbie- After witnessing an act of kindness from Robbie, Sportacus sets off a chain of events stemming from one idea: being Robbie's "secret admirer".


Title: Due to the Rain

Fandom: Lazytown

Pairing: Sportacus/Robbie

Rating: T for some slight cursing (one time) and some "adult" actions.

Summary: After witnessing an act of kindness from Robbie, Sportacus sets off a chain of events stemming from one idea: being Robbie's "secret admirer".

Author's Notes: HI. First Lazytown fanfic. Main concern: PLEASE please please tell me if any of the characters I write are out of character. I have some longer LT ideas, but I need to make sure I can write the characters before that. THANKS.

* * *

It was _raining_. Usually Robbie loved it when it rained. It meant that all the little brats would stay inside and Robbie would be able to curl up and nap. And, yeah, sometimes his home got a little wet, but Robbie was _smart_. When he had built his home, he had made it so it was waterproof. So, sure, his ceiling leaked sometimes and, yeah, the floor by the walls got damp, but the place never actually flooded or anything, so it was okay.

It was _raining_, but before the rain had started to pour, it had been disgustingly nice out, which meant that all the little brats had been outside, annoyingly loud as usual. And Robbie had been outside also, trying to trick the kids into being lazy. So when the sky had decided to open up on them, the kids had scattered, only a few minutes from their homes. But Robbie's home was further from the courtyard than the kids' and he was sopping wet within minutes.

Robbie stopped underneath a tree and brought his arms around himself, shivering a little. The sun had been out, bathing everything in its cheerful warmth, but the rain was cold. Chilly and heavy and still, the wind strangely absent. He scowled. He was going to go home and strip and get in a pair of warm pajamas and have some hot chocolate and curl up under some warm blankets and _sleep_.

He started walking again. Then he stopped when he saw that kitten that Sportaflop was always saving huddled next to the tree. The poor thing was drenched, its wet fur outlining the tiny bones of its body. It saw him and stared at him for a few seconds with large, too-blue eyes. Then it stood and tottered over to him, rubbing against one leg. Its big blue eyes were pleading with Robbie _Take me home, make me warm_. Those big eyes, begging and pleading. Too-blue, like that elf's.

Some dark angry part of him wanted to push the cat away, wanted to stomp away, wanted to leave it here, alone in the rain. But Robbie squirmed unpleasantly at the though.

The kitty sat at his feet, looking tiny and pathetic and unloved. It looked sadly at Robbie with big blue eyes.

It would be just pure evil to leave it out in the rain. That would be _wrong_. And while Robbie liked being lazy and, well, mean sometimes, he really wasn't a villain—he was simply misunderstood. Robbie's fingers twitched, but he made no move to actually pick the kitten up.

The kitty looked at him him…and then let out the most pathetic noise he had ever heard an animal make. Robbie positively _melted_.

Well, he reasoned, taking the kitten would prevent Sportakook from saving it and taking it to the kids. Because if the kids had the kitten, they would be even louder and more unbearable than usual.

Glancing around surreptitiously, he saw no one. No annoying kids. No loud, jumping elf. It was just him and the kitten. He stared at the animal for a few seconds and then, suddenly, plucked it from the ground and cradled it in his arms.

Another quick glance around showed that there were no witnesses. Good. That meant nobody would observe his moment of—insert shudder here—kindness. Very good. Almost absentmindedly, he started stroking the kitten. The thing let out a rumbly purr that seemed too big for it. No one witnessing this would mean that Sportaflop wouldn't know and wouldn't bother him about it. Perfect.

As Robbie walked off, head lowered against the cold rain and kitten cradled underneath his vest against his chest, he didn't notice the blue elf sitting in the tree he had just been under.

* * *

Sportacus looked at the heart shaped box in his hands and couldn't stop the nervous grin that settled on his face. He was going to go through with this. He drew his finger along the edge and eyed the attached note.

Secrecy. That was the key to the whole thing. And while secrecy went against every part of Sportacus's bold nature, he _knew _that that was the only way he could pull this off.

He had seen Robbie, convinced of his isolation, willingly act _kind_. Sportacus had always known that there was kindness in Robbie; but to actually see the man act on it…Sportacus had never expected that. The only way he had been able to was because he had been up in that tree—actually sitting still and thinking.

Thinking about how to tell one Robbie Rotten that Sportacus 10 _liked_ him. Even as optimistic as he was, Sportacus knew that any situation he would be able to come up with would end badly. Robbie, ever suspicious of _everybody_, would think it some sort of plot or trick. And then, after dismissing that idea with the notion that the elf was too stupid to come up with any sort of plan, would think it some sort of joke. Simply put, he would never accept the idea that Sportacus liked him.

But seeing Robbie act kindly with the perception that he was alone, in _secrecy_, had sparked an idea. Use secrecy. Be a secret admirer. Convince Robbie that way and then come out with the fact that his secret admirer was, in fact, Sportacus. Maybe then, just maybe, Robbie would be able to accept it that way.

Sportacus's nervous grin slimmed a tad as he placed the heart shaped box by the silo that led to Robbie's home. After knocking once, twice, he darted around to the other side of the billboard to see Robbie's reaction.

* * *

Robbie nearly growled when he heard the few slight knocks echoing through his home. Tossing the mess of a blanket the kitten had shredded during its slight stay in Robbie's home down, he stomped over to his periscope. Seeing nothing outside the silo door of his home, Robbie, frowning, actually went up to go check and make sure there were no brats up there.

Imagine his surprise when he got up there, expecting to find brats, and only saw a glossy heart shaped box. It was nowhere near February—and even if it had been, he wouldn't have expected anything anyway. Quirking an eyebrow, frown lessening a touch, Robbie pulled himself over the edge of the silo and, crouching, snatched the attached note off and lifted the lid.

Inside the box was a mass of chocolate-covered somethings. He leaned down, sniffed, and, concluding nothing, replaced the lid. He would just have to analyze the somethings before trying them. Just in case. Then he looked at the note.

_For: Robbie Rotten_

_From: Your Secret Admirer _

Secret…admirer? Feeling heat sear his cheeks, he glanced around, hoping he'd be able to spot somebody. He felt the weird urge to grab a few of the chocolate-covered things and try them, savor the feeling of _being wanted_—but he stopped himself.

He grabbed both the note and the box and went back into his home. Back inside, he immediately started analyzing the chocolate whatevers. It turned out to be simple: soy nuts covered in chocolate.

He grimaced at the "soy nut" part—it was _healthy_ after all— but after a few moments of flip-flopping decided what the hell. They had _chocolate_ on them. He found, despite the healthiness of the soy nuts, the things were actually...okay.

Sitting down in his fuzzy chair, he started eating the nuts and contemplated the note. Gracefully swooping letters to complete the simple elegance of the note. As much as he wanted to bask in the flattery of this, he simply could not do it. He, curse him, had –gritting his teeth here—_feelings_ for that stupid, flipping Sports-elf. He would just have to find this "secret admirer" (a blush coming to his cheeks) and tell them that he could not accept anything. Anything more, that was, as those soy nut things were really tasty.

* * *

It wasn't until a few days later did Robbie receive another gift. This time it wasn't as simple as chocolate covered soy nuts. This time it was a cake; it looked delicious. After analyzing the thing—he had to be suspicious—he realized that this cake had the characteristic of being slightly healthy too. There was no refined sugar but honey; there were also actually bits of carrots in it. Carrot cake. Delicious carrot cake.

The note was the same but that didn't stop the rush of warmth that filled him. It also didn't stop the slight twinge his conscious had when he realized that his was still leading on this "admirer". Leaving the cake alone though was out of the question. It was as delicious as it looked.

As he scrapped the plate clean, he had the vague, wispy hope—brought on by the slight healthiness of the gifts—that maybe, just maybe, it was that elf that was doing it. Just as suddenly as the notion entered his brain, he shoved it away. It would do him no good to entertain any thoughts like that.

* * *

Another few days. Another gift. At first it seemed like a random box. Then he saw the note.

_It seemed like you liked her_.

Confused, he lifted the lid, only to find a big pair of curious blue kitty-eyes staring up at him. After pulling out that same stray kitty that he had saved from the rain, he pulled out adoption papers in his name along with kitty caring objects—litter box, food, dish, and toys. Already around the kitty's thin neck was a purple collar with two tags—one with his address (_Robbie Rotten, Silo Behind the Cow Billboard, Lazytown_) and a blank tag, probably for the name of his choice.

He blinked at the kitty. The kitty blinked back at him and then made the same pathetic noise it had used days earlier to reel in him. This time, he steeled himself, tucked the kitty close, and headed towards town to search out the big blue elf.

* * *

When he first saw the sports elf, his stomach knotted pleasantly, but he pushed the feeling away, irritated. Sportadork beamed cheerily at him, ignoring how the kids all slowed in their play, eyeing Robbie warily.

Robbie held the poor kitty up by the scruff of its neck and muttered, "Have you been missing this, Sportaflop?"

The elf went all fidgety. Twitching fingers, darting eyes, bouncing from foot to foot. Robbie narrowed his eyes, intrigued now. But the elf got a nervous smile on his face and answered, "Not really, Robbie. She's a stray and when I asked around, I was told that she was finally adopted."

Hesitantly, Robbie pulled the kitty close. Then, realizing what the elf just said, asked, "Did they say who adopted her?"

The elf's smile became strained. Robbie noticed but made no other reaction to it. Sportakook shook his head. "Sorry, Robbie." The elf's smile went from strained to sharp in a second; Robbie, not only disoriented from the sudden switch, but from the fact that the elf could even have a sharp smile, blinked confusedly. "Why do you need to know that, Robbie?"

Robbie's face turned pink. He snapped, "That's none of your business," and stomped away, not noticing the smile on Sportacus's face.

* * *

Shockingly enough, he didn't get rid of the kitty. He kept the thing, named it Monster, and kept all his valuables away from the little destroyer. At least she couldn't jump onto tables…yet.

Another few days passed. By this time, it had been almost two week since he had first taken in the kitty from the rain and had gotten his first gift. By this time, he was determined to find out who was giving him these gifts. He _needed_ to know.

Then a gift arrived. This time: lovely ripe strawberries coated in chocolate. His mouth watered at just the sight of them. Before retreating to his home, he glanced around and, seeing nobody, yelled, "I know you're out there. I want to know who you are. You can't be a secret forever."

He cast his gaze around the area once more. Still seeing nothing, he started down the ladder to his home. But once he was on the main floor, he heard a frantic knocking. With an irritated sigh, Robbie went back up once more. What met his sight was a small note held down by a rock. Another note then.

It read:

_If you want to meet me, go to the apple tree by the courtyard tonight at eight._

Suspicious and vaguely frightening, really. The note crinkled in his tight grasp. He, however, couldn't just go on like this. He had to do _something_. He _had_ to go tonight, if only to see who it was.

* * *

Apple tree by the courtyard. Eight o'clock. Robbie was a little disoriented when he looked around and saw that the whole area was empty. And then he realized that his admirer had probably picked this particular time because every kid in the area along with that Sports-elf went to bed at 8:08. Silly curfews.

A few minutes passed in silence, Robbie fidgeting in anticipation. Then, suddenly, his eyes were covered by two hands. The motion was gentle, but the intention was clear. His admirer did not want to be seen. Robbie frowned, thinking; he'd just have to be sneaky in his ways of figuring out who this was.

He let himself lean back. This person was shorter than him. Not by much, but enough. The hands—wide and rough—trembled.

The person was going to say nothing. How was he going to figure this out?

He smirked. "How am I supposed to know who you are if you won't let me see you and you won't speak?" His admirer sighed loudly, laughter hiding around its edges, but did not answer.

Then his admirer started moving. One large hand went over his eyes, something cool and vaguely…_rubbery_ touching his temple. Something was on this person's wrist. Some sort of armband? His mind went to Sportacus and the elf's strange armbands, but he forced himself to concentrate on _now_.

The person was in front of him now. Robbie could feel his personal space being entered and gulped nervously. Maybe…maybe this was a bad idea.

Then something touched his mouth. The admirer was…_kissing _him. The touch was light, sweet. The lips, thin and warm. There was something soft above the mouth—hair. A moustache of some sort? Immediately, his mind went to the Sports-elf. This time, the thought stuck.

He let his hands wander. At the waist. A belt. The same vaguely rubbery material from the possibly-armbands. His fingers inched up. The material covering the man—yes, he was sure it was a man now—was slippery and smooth. Not like silk or satin but like spandex—synthetic and stretchy. The waist was lean, the stomach muscles hard beneath his fingers. Hopefully, he let his hands continue upwards. The whole (lovely, muscled) chest was covered in the spandex-like material. And—his hopes plummeted and shattered—there was no metal plate on the chest. No plate, no crystal. No Sportacus.

Gently, he pushed the man away. "I'm sorry," he said, actually meaning the sentiment, "I…," forced from behind gritted teeth, "_like_ someone else." The fingers covering his eyes twitched. After a few seconds, the hand disappeared entirely. Robbie kept his eyes closed. A few minutes later, when he finally did open his eyes, the area was completely empty.

* * *

Sportacus peered around the tree and watched as Robbie walked towards his home. Then, when the tall man was out of the area, he reached up and pulled his vest from the branch he had placed it. The slippery material slid through his fingers until he reached the metal plate. He traced a finger around the edge of the crystal.

That was why he had hidden the vest. If the crystal had gone off, then that would have brought Robbie's attention to it. It would have reinforced the idea that they were on two opposite ends of the spectrum. Sure, Sportacus would have flown away to whatever trouble was happening, but a rift would have been placed between them.

With the vest hiding, Robbie would have had to realize that, even though Sportacus was a hero, he was also a person. Not exactly human, per se, but a person. And even with the vest on the branch, the elf would have been able to hear the crystal go off, just in case.

He rubbed his thumb along the crystal and then, shaking his head, pulled the vest back on. Although he was hurt now, he would just have to deal with it. And it wasn't as if Robbie knew and would be able to use it against him somehow.

But he was also curious now. Who was it that Robbie _liked_?

* * *

After a few days of good hard sulking—why couldn't his secret admirer be that elf?—Robbie pulled himself out of his home to go terrorize the annoyingly loud brats.

Of course, all the kiddies were in the courtyard. With that tree. The apple tree. From the meeting with his admirer. A blush came over his face; it only increased when he spotted Sportadork. Then Pinkie saw him and ran over.

"Hi, Robbie!" she chirped. Then she held out one hand. "Want one?"

Robbie spared a moment to be amazed at Pinkie's boldness before looking at what she was holding. Nuts of some sort. "What are they?" he groused.

She threw a few into her mouth. "Soy nuts," she said brightly. "Sportacus brought them. He said he had extra and thought we'd like them."

Soy…nuts? Hadn't those been from the first gift from his admirer? Slowly, Robbie looked over to the elf. Sportacus had a bag in one hand and was giving some of the treats to the littlest brat. The elf looked up, stretched a smile, and gave an almost hesitant wave. Robbie's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong here.

He looked back to Pinkie, only to see she was nervously twisting her jump rope and looking up at him from underneath bright pink bangs.

It set Robbie on edge. "What?" he asked gruffly.

Pinkie's gaze skittered over to the elf and then back to him. "It's just…Sportacus has been acting strange. Like a few days ago, he wouldn't play with us at all. And just last week," she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "he made me help him bake a cake!" Robbie froze, eyes going over to the elf again, but Pinkie continued. "Of course, he used honey instead of sugar, but still." She shook her head. "He's just acting strange. I wanted to know if you knew anything." She finally realized that he was not paying a lick of attention to her. "Robbie?"

Silently, Robbie pushed past her and went over to the elf. Sportacus smiled cheerily, but the expression faded when Robbie, without a word, grabbed his arm and dragged him off.

It wasn't until they were out of sight of the children did Robbie let him go and turn. Then, without any sort of warning, Robbie pulled him close and kissed him.

He pressed close, letting their lips touch lightly. Sportacus's lips were thin but warm. And above his lip, something vaguely soft, something tickling—the elf's moustache.

Robbie let his hands roam. First, one hand to the wrist—to those ridiculous armbands. Cool, vaguely rubbery material made his fingers stick. Then to the elf's waist, where it was the same cool, rubbery material. He skimmed his hands upwards, underneath the vest to the slippery smooth fabric of the elf's spandex-like shirt. His fingers pressed into the hard muscles of the elf's stomach.

Robbie pulled back, mouth curling into a scowl. "You baked a cake?" It hardly seemed the appropriate thing to say. When Sportacus just stared blankly at him, Robbie switched tactics. "You were my admirer?"

_That_ got a reaction. Sportacus's cheeks turned red. "Ah…yes?" offered hesitantly.

Robbie threw his hands up, a tad irritated. "Why didn't you just say something?"

Sportacus's voice was heated when he replied, "You just would have reacted like this anyway." The slight bit of anger that edged into his voice had him looking away from Robbie in chagrin.

Robbie glared at the elf. "No, I wouldn't have," was shot back, childishly. Then, more reasonably, "I'm only acting this way because you didn't say anything. If you would have said something, I would have done this."

And Robbie grabbed him and pulled him into another kiss. This one was not the light, sweet contacts the other two kisses had been. This one was lips mashed against lips, teeth clacking together, and tongues tangling.

Robbie pulled back, face red, lips moist and swollen. "_That _is what I would have done."

Several emotions flashed over Sportacus's face, all passing too quickly for Robbie to decipher. Then, a soft smile curling on his face, he leaned forward. "I'm sorry, Robbie," the elf murmured against Robbie's mouth. "I thought you would have just laughed."

Pulling back, Robbie rolled his eyes. Then, seeing the tinge of hurt in Sportacus's eyes and remembering how Pinkie had said that Sportacus hadn't played with the kids, wrapped his arms around the elf and pulled him into a hug. Sportacus smiled at this change.

He nuzzled a spot under Robbie's ear that sent a shiver down the taller man's spine and muttered, "I like you a lot Robbie."

Robbie just pressed a lingering kiss to the elf's temple. "Same here, Sportadork." When Sportacus pulled back and looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, Robbie crossed his arms and looking away, muttered sulkily, "Sportacus."

The elf laughed brightly, pressed a kiss to Robbie's mouth, and flipped off happily. Robbie watched fondly, a slight smile on his face. When he realized he was looking like a sap, he forced a scowl and headed back towards the kids.


End file.
